Means for holding and carrying photographic films



2 Sheets-'-Sheet 1. E. E. ELLIS & A. L. LEHNKERING. MEANS FOR HOLDINGAND CARRYING PHOTOGRAPHIO FILMS. No. 462,116.

(No Model.)

Patented O0t.2'7,1891.

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E. E. ELLIS & A. L. LEHNKERING.

MEANS FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING PHOTOGRAPHIO FILMS.

No. 462,116. Patented O0tn2'7, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

EDGAR E. ELLIS AND AUGUST L. LEIINKERING, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING PHOTOGRAPHIC FILMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,116, dated October2'7, 1891.

Application filed January 24, 1890. Serial No. 338,023. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDGAR E. ELLIS and AUGUST L. LEHNKERING, ofRochester, in the county of lllonroe and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Holding and CarryingPhotographic Films, which improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to photography, and more especially to the matterof holding and carrying the plates or sensitized films used in the artand the undeveloped negatives after exposures have been made.

The object of the invention is, mainly, to provide a convenient holderfor carrying a large number of plates or films, and also a receiver forthe exposed plates or films, with means to safely and convenientlydischarge the plates or films from the holder to the receiver afterbeing exposed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the plate-holder,parts being broken away and sectioned, as on the dotted line 00 a; inFig. 2; Fig. 2, a section taken on the dotted line y y in Fig. 1, partsbeing broken away; Fig. 3, a front sectional view sectioned on thedotted line 22 in Fig. 2, parts being shown in two positions by full anddotted lines; Fig. 4, a side view of the device, seen as indicated byarrow in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an end view of the plate-holder andplate-receiver, the latter being transversely sectioned along the planeof the inner surface of the end wall; Fig. 6, a view of the innersurface of a side wall of the holder, parts being omitted; Fig. 7, anexterior view of the side shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8, aview of some of theparts shown in Figs. 6 and 7, seen as indicated by arrow 09 in Fig. 6,the side being sectioned, as on the dotted line y in Fig. 6; Fig. 9,drawn to a larger scale, shows the edges of portions of the back piecefor the films; Fig. 10, drawn to a small scale, shows another form ofthe film backs, and Fig. 11 shows a modified construction of thediseharger for the films.

Referring to the parts, A is the bodyof the plate-holder, and B the bodyof the receiver for the exposed plates or films, these bodies being madeof any suitable material that will exclude the light, such as thinstrips of wood,

compressed paper, hard rubber, the. The plate-holder is preferably aprismatic box in which to place a large nu mber (say f orty-eight) ofseparate plates or sensitized mounted films for the convenience of thephotographer, either for indoor or outdoor work. These plates or films,made ready for exposure, are of a uniform size and placed side by sidein a compact body within the holder. In the drawings we have shownsensitized films a, mounted upon opaque back pieces or backs b, thelatter being made of wood, paper, hard rubber, or other suitablematerial. The films are detachable, but held to place upon the backs bysimple clips 0, extending out from the back.

The interior of the holder is provided with parallel rigid guides (Z,two at each side, within which guides the mounted films are placed.These guides form bearings or rests for the edges of the film-backs andprevent them from shaking or moving laterally upon each other to the endthat the films may not become worn or frayed in consequence of suchmotion in carrying them about. On account of these guides the mountedfilms can have no motion in the holder except a sidewise motion or amotion in a direction perpendicular to the planes of the films. Thefront side of the plate-holder is formed with a centraldischarge-opening e, sufficiently large to allow the mounted films todrop or pass out thereat sidewisethat is to say, in a directionperpendicular to theplane of the film. Movable stopsffff are provided,projecting inward from the sides of the holder, which prevent themounted films from passing out of the holder until it is wished todischarge them into the receiver B. A spring-pressed follower g servesto continually press the films or the backs thereof gently against thestops, the latter being in a plane parallel with the front face of theholder. This follower is preferably a plate of some material about thesize of one of the film-backs and connected with the back 7b of theholder by a slender spiral spring "11. This spring acts to push themounted films in a sidewise direction within the holder against thestops.

The stops project from the edges of parallel side bars 7t 7t, Fig. 3, atthe sides of the holder, these bars being joined at their ends bymovable joints to pivotal bars Z Z at the ends of the holder. On accountof being thus mounted the side bars may be moved in endwise directions,their motions in any given case beingin opposite directions, asindicated. Motion may be given these side bars by various means-as, forinstance, by a pinion 0, Fig. 2, engaging teeth 1) 011 one of the bars,the shaft 7' of the pinion extending through -to the exterior of theholder and being provided with a handle sto move it. (See Figs. 3 and4.) If is a plate secured to the exterior of the holder, provided withstops it 16 for the handle. By moving the handle to one stop 71/ theside bars, with the stops f, will be thrown to one positionas, forinstance, the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 3-and bymoving the handle to the opposite stop a the side bars and stops f willbe thrown to another position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. Nowthe edges of the film-backs b are not even or regular, but are formedwith notches or indentures 7t, two at each side, in position to registerwith the four stops f; or, to more fully explain, the backs of half thenumber of films are notched in a manner to register with the stops fwhen in one position, and the backs of the other half of the films arenotched to register with those stops when in the other position. Thebacks of one form or patternthat is to say, notched in one manner-are,for convenience, all marked l,and those of the other form or pattern aremarked 2; or they may be marked consecutively from 1 to 48, the oddnumbers being given to the backs of one form and the evennumbers givento the backs of the other form. hen the holder is loaded or filled withthe mountedfilms,the sensitized surfaces are all turned in one directiontoward the exposure-opening e in the holder and the differently notchedor formed backs are alternated. For instance, if a back marked with anodd number is put next to the stops f a back marked with an even numbernext follows, followed in turn by another odd-numbered back, and so on;or the mounted films may be all laid togetherin this order in aprismatic body, as shown in Fig. 9, and thus placed within the holderagainst the stops. The back h of the holder is detachable, so that itwith the follower may be removed for the purpose of inserting themounted films, and it may be secured to the body of the holder by simplehooks or other usual means. lVhen the mounted films are placed in theholder caution is taken to set the stops f at a position in which theyshall not register with the notches of the first or contiguous back, sothat said back with its film shall not pass out of the holder throughthe opening 6. This relative position of the stops and the first back isclearly shown in Fig. 1, in which the stops respectively press againstthe back at the sides of the respective notches. Now when the first filmis to be discharged from the holder through the opening 6 the stops arecured to the stem f of the pointer.

shifted by means of the handle 3 to the other position. (Shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3.) This brings them opposite the respective notches andthe back is in consequence released and allowed to pass out. The stopsare now in position to catch and hold the next back, as that isdifferently notched. An opposite shift of the discharging mechanism ordischarger will allow that back to pass out, but at the same time catchthe next one. Thus only one film can pass out of the holder at once, andthe discharger has to be shifted for each film.

The receiverB for the exposed films or undeveloped negatives isconstructed similar to the holder A for the films and about the samesize, ithaving an opening 1; in its side similar to the opening 6 in theholderA. The exposed films are discharged one by one, as above stated,from the holder into the receiver, said holder and receiver being placedtogether side by side, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, in such a manner thatthe openings e '1) shall be opposite to each other. To shut out thelight from the holder and receiver when joined for the purpose ofdischarging an exposed film, the face of the holder may be provided witha groove'w, Figs. 1 and 2, around the openinge and the receiver with acorresponding tongue a around the opening 1) to enter the groove. Thereceiver is provided with internal guides 11', similar to the guides dinthe holder and for the same purpose.

To enable the operator to know certainly that the first film has passedfrom the holder into the receiver in any given case, a simple indicatoris provided for the holder to move when the film passes out. Theindicator shown is a simple pointer c, Fig. 7, arranged to turn upon adial upon the outside of the holder. This pointer may be operated bymeans of a toothed lever d, Fig. 6, and pinion 0 within the holder, thepinion being se- The lever moves with the follower g, and at each timethe latter advances a step, on account of a film being discharged fromthe holder, the pointer is turned to a new mark or space on the dial.The leveris formed with a tang g, extending out to meet the follower,and it may be attached to the follower to move forward and backward withit by means of a simple strap h, Fig. 8, secured to the follower, or thetang may be independent of the follower and held thereagainst by meansof a slender spring 75', Fig. 6. Then the holder is filled with mountedfilmssay forty-eight in numberthe follower is thereby pressed backagainst the action of the spring 2' to the back h of the holder. Vt henin this position, the pointer points to O on the dial. As the followeradvances toward the front of the holder from the successive dischargingof the films singly, the pointer turns upon the dial, indicating theexact number of films discharged.

The opening 6 in the holder, through which IOO IIO

exposures are made, is closed by a rollin g slide or shutter Figs. 1 and2. This rolling shutter is an opaque flexible sheet of some strongsubstance, as cloth, wound upon a roller Z at one end of and within theholder. Straps or bands n 71 lead from the shutter on either side of theopening e to a winding roller 0 at the opposite end of the holder. Theshutter and the bands pass over carrying-rollers p and 0", which holdthe shutter near the front of the plate-holder and in position toeifectually close the opening 6 and exclude the light from thesensitized films within. The roller 1' is provided with a coiled spring1; to turn it in such a manner as to' wind the flexible shutter upon it.To draw the shutter over the opening 6 against theaction of the spring22', we preferably employ a gear w, Figs. 2 and 3, close to the sidewall of theholder, engaging the teeth of a pinion b on the roller 0'.The shaft a of the gear passes through to the outside of the holder,where it is provided with a crank or handle 3, Figs. 3 and i. A circularplate t is preferably employed on the outside of the holder for thehandle 8, and stops u u for the handle are provided. By turning thehandle in the direction of the associated arrow from its position shownin full lines to that shown in dotted lines-that is to say, from onestop 24 to the other-the rolling shutter will be brought to fully coverthe opening 6. Turning the handle back to its first position, theopening will be uncovered, the spring-actuated roller Z automati- .callydrawing the shutter away from said opening. The stops u a, like thestops it u, for the handle .9 of the discharger, consist, in part, ofdepressions or holes, as shown, into which a projecting portion of thehandle enters. Both handles are thus held by positive means in eitherone of their assumed positions. Instead of the long roller 0" for thebands, two short rollers of the width of the band may be used, one foreach band.

The opening '1) of the receiver 13 may be closed with an ordinary slide(Z Fig. 2, or by a rolling shutter, as shown for the holder A, as may bedesired.

The backs l) for the films are preferably formed with a thumb-notch 0Fig. 3,so that the film may be more easily caught by the thumb andfinger to draw it out from under the clips 0.

The lens is focused upon the film next the stops f in the holder, and assoon as one film is exposed and discharged into the receiver anotherfilm is pushed forward in the focus by the spring-pressed follower g.

Fig. ll shows a modification in the form and manner of operating thestops f and the discharging mechanism. Inthisconstruction the pivot-barsZ are without the holders and connected by a single side bar 7s. Thestops are joined to the pivot-bars and move endwise in the act ofholding or discharging a film. In this form the notches 'n in thefilmbacks are differently arranged, as shown, to

be adapted to this construction of stops, but two of the latter actingat the same time to hold the back.

Fig. 10 shows a form of back in which, instead of notches a,corresponding projections 61 are provided at the edges of the back to beengaged by the stops f. Practically these operate the same as thenotches, for the same motions of the stops cause them to be presented toportions of the back (to the projectionsd when in one position and whenshifted to spaces at the edges of the backs. In either case the stopswhen shifted move from positions in front of parts of the back topositions in which they do not oppose any part of the back.

It will be understood that the guides d, instead of being secured withinthe holder, as shown, may be secured in corresponding positions to theback piece 71., and the pile of mounted films placed within themprevious to being inserted in the body of the holder.

Ve are aware that a series of photographic plat'e-holders provided withnotches, in combination with a locking and releasing device adapted toco-operate with said notches, is not broadly new with us.

I claim- 1. In combination with a holder adapted to receive a number ofplates on edge, guides or bearings (7, adapted to support the plates onall their edges, whereby the plates are prevented from moving upon oneanother.

2. In combination with a holder adapted to hold a number of plates,guides or bearings d, supporting the plates by their edges, and areceiver B, provided with guides 1), adapted to support the exposedplates by their edges.

In combination with a holder having an exposure-opening, a flexibleshutter moving across the opening, and a spring-actuated roller, towhich the shutter is secured, arranged, substantiallyas shown, to holdthe curtain normally away from the opening.

4. In combination with a holder having an expos ure-openin g, a flexibleshutter, a springactuated roller to which the shutter is secured, roller0, bands a, connected to the roller and shutter, a shaft a geared to theroller 0, an arm 5', secured to the shaft a and stops 1! a to hold theshutter against movement.

5. In combination with the holder A, having adischarge-opening e, areceiver B, provided with a corresponding opening 1!, a series of platesmounted loosely in the holder A face to face, means for urging theplates forward through the openings e r, and a stop mechanism,substantially such as shown and described, to release the plates one byone and to permit them to pass from the holder into the receiver withoutmoving their surfaces over one another.

6. In combination with the holder A, having a dischargeopeuing (2,guides d, arranged on a level with the opening, a series of platesresting upon the guides, a stop mechanism adapted to hold the plates andto release them one at a time, and means for forcing the released plateout through the opening 6 without raising the plate, all substantiallyas shown.

7. In combination with a holder A, two reciprocating bars, a series ofplates or films adapted to be engaged on opposite edges by the bars,substantially in the manner described, and means for imparting motion inopposite direction to the bars.

8. In combination with a holder A, two reciprocating bars 71; it,provided with tongues ff, a series of plates having notches n n in theedges adjacent to the bars, and means for reciprocating the bars.

9. In combination with a holder, a series of plates or films notched orprovided with tongues, the notches or tongues of alternate platescorresponding in position, and a stop mechanism constructed and arrangedsubstantially as shown and described, whereby the release of one plateplaces the stop mechanism in position to hold the next.

10. In combination with a holder A, the bars 70 It, provided withtongues ff, plates at a, alternately provided with notches in alignmentwith the tongues, levers Z Z, connecting the bars 70 7a, a handle or arm3 for actuating the bars, and stops to a for locking the bars againstmovement.

11. In combination with a holder adapted to receive a number of plates,means for releasing the plates one by one, and an indicator arranged tobe automatically operated by the discharge of each of the plates, allsubstantially as shown and described.

12. In combination with a holder adapted to receive a number of plates,means for revided with a series of plates, and means for releasing themone at a time, the indicatorshaft f, provided with a pointer c to workover a scale and provided also with a pinion c, the pivoted rack-bar d,and a follower serving to actuate the rack-bar.

I l. A series of photograph plates or films placed side by side withinan inclosiug holder, the latter having an open side for the plates orfilms to pass out thereat, and movable stops to hold said plates orfilms within the holder, in combination with an automatic indicator torecord the discharging of plates or films from the holder.

15. A series of mounted photographic films placed side by side in aninclosingholder, the backs of the films being made after two differentforms, the films having the differently formed backs being alternatedwithin said holder, for the purpose set forth.

16. A series of independent sensitized photographic films mounted uponopaque backs and placed within an inclosing holder, the backs having theedges made irregular or uneven after two diiterent patterns, thedifferently-formed backs with their mounted films being placedalternately within the said inelosing holder, substantially asdescribed.

17. A series of photographic films mounted independently upon separatebacks within an iuclosing holder, the backs having their edges formedafter two different patterns and arranged alternately within saidholder, in combination with shiftable stops formed to correspond withthe two different forms of backs.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands, this 4th day ofJanuary, 1890, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDGAR E. ELLIS. AUGUST L. LEHNKERING. Witnesses:

E. B. VHITMORE, M. L. BICDERMOT'I.

